The Eagles (11-6), NFC East Champion, return to the NFL playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the conference and will face the rival 49ers (12-5) at Lincoln Financial Field in what should be a high-energy, high-scoring affair.
The Eagles have the best record in the NFL, including playoffs, since the start of 2022 (56-20), and they are must-see television. With Philadelphia getting the late Sunday afternoon time slot, the NFL on FOX broadcast team will be in attendance.
Advertisement
With kickoff fast approaching, we’re looking at three keys for the Philadelphia defense vs. the 49ers offense.
Get the 49ers offense unsettled
The 49ers won 12 games this season and have one of the NFL’s most efficient offenses (No. 2 in DVOA, No. 8 in EPA/play, No. 4 in success rate. Pressure bust pipes, and the Eagles do as good a job as any team in the NFL at getting pressure on the quarterback. The Eagles limited opponents to the league’s lowest completion percentage (56.8%), marking their best figure since 2008 (54.1%). Philadelphia held opponents to the 2nd-lowest passer rating (75.4) inthe NFL (Eagles’ best mark since a 72.9 passer rating allowed in 2008), behind L.A. Chargers (75.0). The rating included a 58.1 mark on third/ fourth down and a 64.6 mark in the red zone – both 1st in the NFL.
Keep San Francisco under 35 rushing attempts
Mike Shanahan likes to reference something called a “40” game, and Sunday fits that bill. With Christian McCaffrey, Brian Robinson Jr., Isaac Guerendo, and a fullback, Kyle Juszczyk, Shanahan could look to get 35-40 carries out of the rushing attack. With a banged-up defense, San Francisco could look to take the air out of the football.
Advertisement
Account for Christian McCaffrey
Christian McCaffrey is still a workhorse running back and just finished second in the league in carries (311), but had the lowest rushing yards over expected per attempt (-0.5) of his career. The 49ers want and need to establish their ground game to utilize play-action, which means Sunday will be a huge opportunity for the Eagles’ trio at linebacker.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Eagles vs. 49ers: 3 keys for Philadelphia’s defense in wild card game
#Eagles #49ers #keys #Philadelphias #defense #Kyle #Shanahan